If you like hiking with your dog off leash, you know what the #1 absolute best thing you can do for trail safety with your dog is? First and foremost and beyond anything else, before even recall...
Bond with them.
There is no tool or treat or toy that can replace a bond of mutual love and trust with your dog.
And that honestly goes for any and all training. All of your training whether it's tricks, basic life skills, obedience, agility, cooperative care, is a rock solid relationship with your dog.
The right training can help you build that bond, the wrong training can destroy it. In the case of off leash adventures, doing things to build love, trust, comradery including playing with your dog or sharing food with them, even without the intent of training builds the foundation towards
a better recall
your dog coming to find you if they're hurt or scared rather than bolting in a random direction
sticking around your campsite
So if you want a relaxing adventure with your best furry pal, bond with your dog. Play with them. Get silly with them. Cuddle with them if they enjoy it. Share your food with them. Show them that you are always a safe person to come to. Enjoy their company! Appreciate them for just being a dog! Because... isn't that why you got a dog?
[View from behind of a white woman sitting on top of a snowy mountain overlooking evergreen trees and more mountains. She is wearing a backpack and part of the left side of her face can be seen. Her left arm is draped across the shoulders of a Rottweiler who is sitting next to her, facing the same direction.]